This disclosure proposes multiple methodologies for making and playing lottery style portable gaming devices. Specifically, this application provides a secure methodology for creating and operating portable devices, allowing players to play sanctioned lottery games in a lively, digital, interactive format.
Lottery games have become a time honored method of raising revenue for state and federal governments the world over. Traditional scratch-off and on-line games have evolved over decades, supplying increasing revenue year after year. However, after decades of growth, the sales curves associated with traditional games seem to be flattening out. Consequently, both lotteries and their service providers (e.g., Scientific Games, GTech, Pollard Banknote, etc.) are presently searching for new forms of gaming.
Recently, electronic game cards have been added to the various lottery products available to the consumer. While, from a lottery perspective, these devices are the functional equivalent of an instant ticket, the consumer views them as an entirely different product—one that adds entertainment value to the game itself. Indeed, in the relatively short time that electronic game cards have been in the marketplace, they have shown surprisingly robust sales. However, these electronic game cards are relatively expensive to manufacture. This added expense creates poorer payouts and lower prize levels for the consumer, thereby possibly impacting long-term sales. Additionally, the electronic game card presents various logistical challenges. For example, in some game cards, prize payouts are programmed by placement of wire bonding during manufacturing. This method of programming creates numerous challenges in ensuring that each card is affixed with an encrypted lottery barcode that agrees with the card's prize outcome. This problem is especially burdensome when it is viewed that the electronic game cards must be assigned a pseudo-sequential serial number to be compatible with lottery validation systems.
Additionally, by programming prize values with variable wire bonding, each card can only be played once by a consumer, that is, multiple plays on the same card would all play out to the same prize value. This one-time-play limitation of existing electronic game cards has economic impact on the viability of the product, since all production costs must be recovered in the initial sale. Thus, these types of electronic game cards typically retail for $20 or more. Such a high retail price greatly reduces the potential market for these game cards.
In light of the noted disadvantages of existing electronic game cards alternative embodiments that have either logistical or economic advantages over the existing electronic game card are desired.